Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-07-29
4 SENSATIONAL Case.
A Methodist Minister Deserts His Wife
and Six Children and EIopes
with a Nurse Girl.
He is Supposed 10 Have Tired Of the
Girl and Poisoned Her-He Re-
turns N0me-FOrccd TO Flee.
Che Body Of the Girl Exhumef for Ex
smination-The Physicians Noticed
No Arsenic Symptoms.

ST. LOUIS, Mo, July 2S.-On July g.
man calling himself Thomas Abbott, With
his wife Annie, several years his Junior,
3 bright, handsome blonde, came to the
city and took cheap lodgings. They were
very poor, and said t5ey came from Can
ada. Abbott was q small, thin, clerical
looking man, and claimed 20 be author
lied to preach, and was very piously
inclined in acts snd manners. He was a
silverplater by trade, a well as Z
preacher, and obtained work ct the silver
ware establishment Of NJ. D. Degge. lie
seemed to be very iond Of mis- wife, and
was very attentive to her. A few days
later his wife was taken very
ill with what her physicians called
cholera morbus and heart disease,
and on the night Of July |. she
died and the next day CHE was buried.
| The certificate Ct death being regular,
nothing had occurred TO arouse suspicion
that anything was wrong. The next day
Abbot went to M. Degge'S shop appar-
entity in great distress and very muCh de-
pressed by grief at The loss OF his wife.
He wrote several letters and went cut TO
mail them and that was the last Mr..
|
msil that afternoon, however, Mr.. Dsgge
another which purported to have been
written by Mrs. Abbott in which she
says she feels that she is
burden to him, that size
has caused him great trouble
and she hsd taken arsenic with suicidal
intend. Abbott's letter referred to the
one from his vile, aud bemoaued her sad
fate, professed great love for her, said
nothing would console him but reunion
with her, and thst his body would be
found in the river. Mr.. Degge dis
covered E. marked similarity between the
whiting OF Mrs. Abbott's letter and part
of that Of Abbott's, and bis suspicion
was aroused. He consulted the police
but was told that there was nothing
particular IN the case, and the coroner
could do nothing without further infOT-
nation, and so the matter rested. Yes
terday a package Of arsenic was
found in Degge's shop which
had been purchased by Abbott when he
was employed there. They do not use
arsenic in Inc shop and addltioD&lj suspi-
cion WIS excited. To-day two dispatches
were received by the chief Of police from
Chesterton, Porter county, Ind, sskiag
for 8 full description Of Abbott and hia
wife, and stating that il was thought 40
bott was Rev. DR.. West Of mat place
who eloped with girl few months ago.
A description was sent and TO night 8 re-
spouse was received that il fitted DR.,
West exactly. has since been learned
that Abhott's right name is William
Thomas Abbott West; that he
IS & Methodist preacher in
charge of church ct Cnesterton, lid,
J.and has wife and six children at that
place. The dead girls name YVES Susie
Beck. She was a nurse in Vests family
last February when Mrs. West was sick
and subsequently she snd Mr., West be-
came not only intimate, but it is said their
Intercourse became scandal. Sometime
in May last West went to Chicego, Csten-
sibly for medical treatment. The girl
also went there and they are said to have
Remained there until June IS, when they
'fcame here. West, it appears, when he
left here On the 9lh went directly home,
but the death Of Mrs. Abbott in
this city becoming common tall
there ne left again in two days, and bss
not been heard of since. II has further
developed that West lived ia Ksnkakee
H., before he moved to Chesterton, end
that he was a preacher there il COCO
standing. Prior 10 that be lived il South
Bend, Ind, where he was employed il
: StudebakeT's wagon factory. The O0dy
of the Beck girl was eXhumGd by the cor
oneT this afternoon and is row at the
morgue. A post norton will be held to
morrow to determine whether she was
poisoned, but even though arsenic
would be found in her stomach
it would be difficult TO de
cide whether she took it voluntarily
or whether it was administered by West
Dr.. Albin, the physician who attended
her while sick, says he discovered n
poison symptoms. The case is very
mysterious one, and will be investigated